Garment supporting and carrying device



. 1, 1942. w. a. BRACKEN arm.

GARMENT SUPPORTING AND QKRRYING DEVICE Filed Nov. 20, 1 940 2Sheets-Sheet 1 "min minim-1 m. mull-c I INVENTORS. W4 1i: Max/1:41.

701V 1 D403 BY 5 Z l, 1942'. w. H. BRACKEN ET AL GARMENT SUPPORTI NG ANDCARRYING' DEVICE Filed Nov. 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sfxeeb- 2 Patented Dec. 1,1942 GARMENT SUPPORTING AND CARRYING DEVICE Wallace H. Bracken, Rye, andMilton W. Daub, Great Neck, N. Y.

Application November 20, 1940, Serial No. 366,452

6 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in garmentsupporting devices which may be inserted within suitcases, wardrobecases, or other traveling bags, or which may be used for supporting andstoring garments while hanging within a closet or otherwise.

Wardrobe cases of varying sizes have to a considerable extent supplantedthe old-fashioned type of suitcase among discriminating travelers, forthe very apparent reason that mens coats, trousers, ladies dresses,gowns, etc., when laid one upon the other in a traveling bag, becomewrinkled and require pressing in every instance before they can be wornagain. No wardrobe has been heretofore devised, however, which willpermit the supporting of clothes, both mens and womens, in such a manneras to completely remove the possibility of wrinkling and creasing thegarments.

It is accordingly one of the principal objects of the present inventionto provide a garment supporting device or hanger structure for bodygarments, the hanger for mens clothing being only a slight modificationof the hanger for womens clothing, which hanger will permit suchgarments to be supported either within or without a traveling bag orwardrobe case, with the same freedom from distortion, wrinkling, and thelike as though such garments were supported on a conventional hanger ina conventional wardrobe closet.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved hangerstructure for ladies dresses, coats and gowns wherein a plurality ofremovable hangers of novel construction are supported in a generallyrectangular frame in superimposed, stepped relationship, whereby thegarments may be quickly and easily placed upon the hangers and thehangersv mounted on the appropriate supports and locked in place. Thelower terminal portions of the garments are then wrapped about thestructure and the latter may then be placed, preferably in a verticalposition, within the traveling bag. The supporting means for the severalhangers is so arranged that any one thereof may be removed from orre-inserted upon the support without interference from the otherhangers.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of an improvedhanger structure for ladies dresses wherein dresses and gowns of anylength may be packed with complete freedom from wrinkling or distortion.Another novel feature of the present invention resides in the fact thateither horizontal rail may be positioned upwardly in the wardrobe case,it being only necessary to wrap the garment around the rectangular frameuntil no portion extends below one of the horizontal rails, and thehorizontal rail which is now in an upper position may occupy suchposition when the structure is placed within the wardrobe case.

A' further object of the invention is the provision of a generallyrectangular hanger structure of the character described which, when thearticles of clothing are placed thereon, will occupy a minimum amount ofspace laterally within the wardrobe case, and accordingly a plurality ofsuch structures supporting a goodly number of mens and womens garmentsmay be carried within a single bag of relatively small dimansions.

It will accordingly be apparent that another important object of theinvention is the provision of a garment supporting structure for ladiesand mens garments which will, in effect, permit any type of suitcase tobe converted without any special attachments or change therein into awardrobe case, since no mechanism is required for supporting orotherwise receiving the structures in theinterior of the suitcase orother bag.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a hangerstructure for a mans suit wherein the coat is hung from the upperportion of the generally rectangular supporting device, the lowerportion of such coat being adapted to be folded around the lower railthereof, the device then being inverted, whereby the coat is supportedin substantially its middle portion around 35 the new upper rail of thesupporting device, and the trousers and. vest likewise placed over suchupper rail. The hanger structure permits the several garmentsconstituting the suit to thus be hung in such a way as to avoid anycreasing or undesired wrinkling of the suit, and particularly the frontand arm sections of the coat. When the hanger structure is supportedwithin a closet, the trousers and vest may be supported upon the lowerrail with the front of'the coat positioned immediately to the rearthereof. Thus, the user may remove the garments therefrom in the naturalsequence in which he places such garments upon his person.

The present improved hanger structure is shown in connection with aspecial type of wardrobe case of a generally flexible character adaptedto carry a plurality of both the mens and womens garment supportingdevices, although it will be appreciated that the devices constituting55; the present invention may be used in connection the provision of acompact garment supporting structure which is light in weight, rigid inconstruction, and which may have a variety of uses, both in connectionwith, and apart from, any type of suitcase or the like, and if desiredthe structure with the garment placed thereon and wrapped thereaboutsmay be stored in a drawer, or wrapped in paper, or in a conventionalcardboard box for carrying, or otherwise.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a broken front elevation of the preferred form of a ladysgarment supporting device constituting the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken front elevation of the hanger supportingstructure.

Fig. 3 is a broken vertical section taken on line 33 of Fi 1.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1 with aplurality of dresses supported thereon prior to the folding of suchdresses around the hanger structure.

Fig. 5 is similar to Fig. 4 but shows the position of the dresses afterthe hanger structure has been inverted and the dresses are partiallyfolded around the device.

Fig. 6 shows the final position of the dresses upon the device beforethe same is to be inserted within the traveling or other wardrobe bag.

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of the hanger for men's clothing.

Fig. 8 is a broken perspective view of one corner section thereof.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the men's garment supporting device witha mans coat in place thereon before the same has been folded around thelower rail of the structure.

Fig. 10 is similar to Fig. 9 but shows the lower coat section foldedupwardly over the front portion of the garment.

Fig. 11 shows the hanger structure in its final inverted position withthe trousers and vest supr ported along the now upper rail thereof.

Fig. 1.2 shows the hanger structure for mens garments as the same isbeing inserted into one form of wardrobe or traveling case in connectionwith which the present invention may be used.

The womans garment supporting structure comprises a generallyrectangular frame It formed with an upper horizontal rail H, a lowerhorizontal rail l2, and opposed vertical rails l3.

Horizontal rails II and I2 are desirably formed 3,

from thin plywood strips, and the vertical rails l3 are preferablyformed from relatively thin, elongated metal strips which arerectangular in transverse section. Adjacent to each end of the verticalrails a substantially rectangular ferrule or socket I5 is secured bywelding or otherwise, such ferrule being preferably stamped from flatsheet metal and receiving the terminal portion of each upper and lowerhorizontal rail therein, such terminal portion being secured by means ofatop,

rivet or screw IS.

Each vertical rail has an outwardly curved extension portion I1extending above and below the upper and lower horizontal rails I! and12, re-

spectively, such curved extension forming a foot or support extendingbeyond the horizontal rail and preventing the garment from slipping offthe side of the generally rectangular garment supporting structure. Thisoutwardly curved extension portion or foot extends sufiiciently belowthe lower rail to prevent the structure from resting on the garmentspassing below this lower edge of the rail. In other words, the feet atthe opposed lower edges of the structure, whichever edge is down in anygiven instance, and not the garments themselves, support the weightthereof when the garments are correctly positioned thereon.

Secured substantially midway between the terminals of the upper rail His a substantially U- shaped supporting element 29 formed from anelongated strip of fiat sheet metal, the upper terminals 2! thereofbeing secured to such horizontal rail by means of rivets 22 and 23.Rivet 2-1-3 is somewhat longer than rivet 22 and pivotally supports ahook-shaped hanger member 24 which may be used for supporting the entiredevice prior to insertion within a wardrobe or other carrying case.

The front wall 25 of the U-shaped support is formed with a plurality ofspaced apertures 21, 28 and 29. A portion of the material which ispunched out to form aperture?! is bent forwardly to form a lower support30 for one of the removable dress hangers, and an upwardly extendingportion 3i acts to prevent such dress hanger from casual removal fromthe support 30. The dress hanger 3 3 is formed from an elongated stripof wire having a substantially square, U-shaped portion formed midwaybetween its ends. The opposed vertical portions 36 of such U-shapedportion 35 are enclosed by the terminal portions 3! of a fiat strip 38which is curved at each end portion to encircle such vertical portions36.

A combined hook and locking member 49, which is desirably formed fromflat sheet metal and is adapted to support the hanger when the same isnot in position upon the structure ii), is pivotally mounted midwaybetween the ends of flat metal strip 38 by means of a pin 4|. The hookportion is slightly offset from its pivot portion, as shown at 42, inorder to permit rotation without interfering with the body portion ofsuch hanger.

Above pin 4!, when viewed in the position shown in Fig. 2, member 40 isformed with a circular portion 43 having a flat portion 44 on one sidethereof. When in this position the upper part of portion 43 resides inan aperture or recess 46 (Fig. 3) formed in the horizontal support 30.and it will accordingl be seen that removal of the hanger is thusprevented. When, however, it is desired to remove the hanger from itssupport, the hook is rotated to a point wherein the flat surface 44 is.more or less parallel with the lower edge of horizontal support 30. atwhich time the hanger may be removed, and further rotation of the hookto an upright position permits the hanger to be hung on any suitablemember withina closet or otherwise.

The opposed terminal portions of hanger 34 are formed with inwardlycurved ring portions 50 which permit a skirt or other similar articledesi'gnated as 5| to be hung therefrom. Horizontal support 53 for hanger34' positioned immediately below hanger 34 is formed similar to support30, except that upwardly extending portion 5:1 associated with thesupport is placed closer to front wall 26, and accordingly hanger 34',when in the position shown in Fig 3, is positioned further inwardly thanis hanger 34. Support 55 for lowermost hanger 34" is so arranged as tocause such hanger to be positioned substantially intermediate betweenthe front and rear Walls of U- shaped support 26,

In use the garment supporting structure I0 is desirably suspended fromany suitable support (not shown) by means of hook 24 which will thenoccupy the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Hanger 34 may then beremoved from support 20 by means of moving the hook 40 to appropriateposition, and thereafter moving the hook upwardly to supportingposition, after which such hook may be used to suspend the hanger 34independently of structure It]. A dress may then be placed upon thehanger in the usual manner, and if desired a skirt 5| may be sup-.ported on the terminal ring portions 50 as previously described. Theother hangers 34' and 34" are similarly removed and dresses placedthereon, after which the individual hangers carrying the dresses arereturned to the garment supporting member ID, the waist portions of thedresses being positioned to the rear of lower rail I2, all as shown inFig. 4.

Hook 24 is next rotated to a point wherein it is below upper rail I I,at which time the garment supporting member ID is inverted, as shown inFig. 5, thus leaving the lower portions of the several dresses below thenow lower rail I l After the dresses are pulled taut to avoid wrinkling,the frame i is again inverted, as shown in Fig. 6, and rail ll againoccupies the uppermost position. The garment supporting member is nowready to be inserted within a wardrobe case or other traveling bag.

The mans garment supporting member, designated as 65, is generallysimilar to the ladies garment supporting member I6 in that it comprisesan upper rail 66, a lower rail 6'! formed preferably of fiat laminatedplywood, as shown in Fig. 8, and vertical rails 69 formed of metal. Theterminal portions of horizontal rails 66 and 61 are likewise receivedwithin sockets or ferrules 10 which are welded or otherwise secured tothe inner surfaces of vertical member 69, and are secured within suchsockets by means of pins 1 l. Likewise, outwardly curved extensionportions 12 at each end of member 69 form feet or supports for theentire structure, depending upon which end of the rectangular frame ispositioned downwards. In other words, when the lower end of coat 19 isfolded upwardly, as shown in Fig. 10, and the structure inverted, asshown in Fig. 11, the curved extensions 12 lying below the now lowerrail 66 form feet for the frame, and the curved extensions adjacent tonow upper rail 6! form supports which may be manually grasped by theuser for the purpose of inserting the frame structure with the garmentswrapped therearound and supported thereon within the wardrobe case 85,and for removing such frame structure from the case without touching orotherwise disturbing the garments. This dual purpose of curved extension'!2 is important, since if it were necessary to touch the garments whenthe device is being manually transported such garments would get out ofposition and an undesired crease would result. Upper rail 65 in thisinstance includes an integrally formed coat supporting portion 13,although if desired this portion may be separately formed and constitutea removable coat supporting member. Hook I is pivotally carried midwaybetween the ends of upper rail 66 by means of a pin 16.

In use the garment supporting structure 65 is suspended from a suitablesupport (not shown) by means of the upwardly turned hook 15 shown inFig. 7, and a coat I9 is placed upon hanger portion 13, the frontportion of the coat including the sleeves 80 lying to the rear of lowerrail 61. In this instance care must be taken to smooth out all portionsof the frontof the coat, and particularly the sleeves 80. Structure 65is now preferably laid on a'fiat surface and the lower portion of thecoat carefully placed in superimposed relationship over the upperportion thereof, all as shown in Fig. 10. The structure is now invertedto the position shown in Fig. 11, and the trousers 82 and vest 83 placedupon the central portion of the coat which is supported upon the nowupper rail 61.

The coat 1'9 illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 is a jacket of usuallength, and it will be noted from an examination of Figs.10 and 11particularly that the lower end of such coat folds over lower horizontalrail 61 at a point slightly below the center line of such garment. Thisis an important feature of the invention, since it prevents wrinkling inthat part of the garment which is normally wrinkled in the usual run'ofrectangular'garment-supporting devices. It will be appreciated, ofcourse, that in the event a topcoat or a formal coat with long tails isplaced upon the hanger, its lower edge might extend above the upper rail66, when viewed as in Fig.

10, and in this instance such lower end of the coat will be placed oversuch upper rail and folded thereover, care being taken to preventwrinkling. In this case the garment-supporting element is not inverted,as shown in Fig. 11, but is maintained in the position shown in Fig, 10when it is inserted within the wardrobe case. When the expression jacketis used in the appended claims, it is intended to mean a jacket ofnormal length, as shown in Fig. 9, and accordingly the fold line occursbelow the central horizontal line of the garment.

. The entire device is now ready to be inserted within a wardrobe case,one type of which is designated as 85 in Fig. 12. This case is generallyrectangular in shape and includes a top opening 86. A plurality ofthegarment supporting members I0 and 65 may be received in a case ofthis character without any danger of wrinkling the garments carriedthereby. It will thus be seen'that any type of suitcase or the likewithout the addition of fittings, supporting structures, or otherwise,may receive one or more of the garment supporting devices constitutingthe present invention, and accordingly the same case maybe used asa'wardrob'e' case for ladies and mens garments.

When the mans garment supporting device 65 is not placed within a caseit may be hung in a closet, and in this instance the waistcoat may firstbe placed upon lower rail 61 and the trousers next placed upon suchrail. It will thus be seen that when in this position the garments maybe removed in the sequence that they are placed upon the body of thewearer.

It will further be apparent that many modifications and changes may bemade in the foregoing structures without departing from the spirit ofthe invention. For instance, the frames l0 and 65 may be formed from onepiece of metal or may be formed from materials other than thosespecified. In other words, the embodiments of the invention shown in thedrawings are for illustration merely and are not to be regarded in anylimiting sense.

What we claim is:

1. A supporting device for body garments comprising a substantiallyrectangular frame, the vertical rails of said frame being formed withextension portions at each end thereof providing supports for the cornersections, a depending member secured midway between the ends of theupper rail, a plurality of spaced superimposed angular garment hangersupports associated with said member, each support having an aperture inthe lower wall thereof, a garment hanger mounted on each support, a hookpivotally mounted on each hanger at its center, and an extension formedon the hook beyond its pivot, a portion of said extension normally lyingwithin the aperture in the support and forming a lock to prevent casualremoval thereof.

2. A device for supporting a plurality of body garments comprising asubstantially rigid frame of greater width than depth, a dependingmember formed of sheet metal and secured between the ends of the upperrail, said member being formed with a plurality of spaced, punched-outportions therein, forming a plurality of superimposed garment hangersupports, each upper support extending further outwardly than thesupport immediately therebeneath, each support having an aperture in thelower wall thereof, a garment hanger mounted on each support, a hookpivotally mounted on each hanger, and an extension portion formed on thehook beyond the pivot, said extension lying within the aperture in thesupport and forming a lock for the hanger.

3. A supporting device for ladies body garments comprising asubstantially rectangular frame of greater Width than depth, thevertical rails of said frame being formed with outwardly curvedextension portions at each end thereof providing supports for eachcorner section, a substantially U shaped supporting element formed ofsheet metal and secured midway between the ends of the upper rail, saidsupport being formed with a plurality of punched-out portions on thefront and lower surface thereof, forming a plurality of superimposedgarment hanger supports comprising a base portion and a wall portion,each base portion having an aperture therein, a garment hanger formed ofan elongated wire with an inverted U shaped central portion mounted oneach support, a plate extending between the vertical arms of the Ushaped portion, a hook pivotally mounted on each plate, and a curvedextension formed on the hook beyond its pivot, said curved extensionhaving a portion normally lying within the aperture in the support andforming a lock for the hanger.

4. A supporting device for a plurality of ladies body garmentscomprising a rectangular frame, a plurality of garment hangers formed ofan elongated strip of material bent at its opposed terminals to formring portions to act as a supplemental support for garments, and meansfor detachably supporting said hangers on the frame in superimposed,stepped relationship, said means comprising a depending plate secured toone rail of the frame and having a plurality of punched out portions,the material from such'portions being outwardly and upwardly bent toform hanger supports, each outwardly bent portion having an aperturetherein, the upwardly bent portion on each successively higher hangersupport extending further outwardly from the plate to support suchhangers in stepped relationship, a pivoted member on each hanger at thecenter thereof and being formed with a portion residing in said apertureto lock the hanger on the support.

5. A supporting device for a plurality of ladies body garmentscomprising a substantially rectangular frame, a plurality of hangers andmeans for detachably supporting said hangers on the frame insuperimposed relationship, said means comprising a depending platesecured to one rail of the frame and having a plurality of punched outportions, the material from such portions being outwardly and upwardlybent to form hanger supports, each outwardly bent portion having anaperture therein, a pivoted member on each hanger at the center thereofand being formed with a portion residing in said aperture to lock thehanger on the support.

6. A supporting device for a plurality of ladies body garmentscomprising a substantially rectangular frame, a plurality of hangers andmeans for detachably supporting said hangers on the frame insuperimposed relationship and for permitting one of said hangers to beremoved from the support independently of the others, said meanscomprising a depending plate secured to one rail of the frame, aplurality of angular supports carried by said plate, one above theother, the lower portion of each support having an aperture therein, acombined hook and locking member pivotally mounted on each hanger at thecenter thereof, and being formed with a portion residing in saidaperture to lock the hanger on the support.

WALLACE H. BRACKEN. MILTON W. DAUB.

